Kernel replacement for AX200

[jpsollie]

I'd like to build a new routing device using the mediatek RBM33G because of its low price, high expandability and of course Openwrt support.

For WiFi, I am looking towards the new intel AX200 chips. I'd insert them using a M_2 M -> M_2 E adapter. These chips are not supported by the 4.14 kernel, so I guess I'll need to find a solution for that.
I can compile a kernel for my x64 system, I am doing it almost every month for different x64 devices, but I guess the situation is somewhat more complex for cross-compiling to MIPS. Where do I find the .config file for the RBM33G? It would help me a lot, and I can recreate a 5.2 kernel + insert the updated iwlwifi firmware (I guess).

EDIT: apparently the 4.14 kernel config is already in the master git, sorry, no problem there

How do I know what the expected results will be for hostapd? I don't want to buy such a card for the 2.4ghz band, but some iwlwifi documentation suggests iwlwifi is currently not capable of hosting an AP in the 5ghz band. Where do I obtain necessary info for this AX200 device?

Hostapd 2.7 supports 802.11ax, so I guess that's not a problem.

[Borromini]

If you want reliable wifi, better look at tested 802.11ac solutions rather than at Intel ones that see very few use in AP mode. From Intel's product page, the AX200 is not ax certified either (it clearly says 'WiFi 6 pre' - I have no idea if the 802.11ax spec itself is finalised by now; but I wouldn't put my money on pre-certification hardware).

[jpsollie]

@Borromini: Thx, I always thought the intel cards were very good ones ... but apparently not.

The idea is tempting ... but there are still plenty of qca9984 cards on the market using a mini-pcie slot to fix 802.11AC connectivity. I'll put the AX idea on hold then

[slh]

The bigger problem is that -so far- there are barely any Intel wlan cards which do allow AP mode, especially not in the 5 GHz band. For certification and regulatory compliance reasons Intel usually disables any modes that require IR (initiate radiation) or DFS in particular. Therefore, on most of their past wlan cards, AP mode (or IBSS) have been disabled completely, some newer (wifi direct ones in particular) do partially lift that restriction, but afaik only for the 2.4 GHz band (and channels 1-11 only). While I'm not familiar with AX200, I'd be very wary of the same behaviour here, before even taking into consideration that 802.11ax isn't really supported by mac80211 and hostapd yet (development is ongoing, but not finished yet); you may want to wait for QCA QCN5024 and ath11k instead.

[jpsollie]

@slh : I'm not familiar with the AX200 either, I just thought it was a good idea to switch to AX. Wikidevi shows indeed that a large number of APs are using this chip, so the QCN5024 might be the best option. I ordered a (more expensive) banana PI R2 to do the job instead of the RBM33G, as it looks shinier, and it more suitable to put under my desk when I want to connect some RJ-45 devices (laptop, printer, etc...) . I thought that it was more return-on-investment to have a few extra RJ-45 ports compared to investing in the 2.4ghz channel, and as such, I won't need more than 1 expansion slot